Set Fire To The Rain
by Ladieeluck
Summary: On the Streets of Seattle the name Palpatine has long been feared; despite his rumoured death and the disbandment of his Empire decades ago, there are whisperings of his return to the city – and that he wants what is rightfully his. Agent Ben Solo has been given the task of protecting Mayor Kenobi's daughter – Rey – at all costs, including his life. A/U. Reylo.
1. Chapter 1

_**CHAPTER 1**_

_**-/-**_

_Music To Get High To_

**_-\\-_**

* * *

The powerful scent of stale sweat mixed with tendrils of gunpowder filled the air. Ben found himself kneeling in the dirt with his back against the remnants of a cement block; pausing only to catch his breath in anticipation. Hastily, he pushed the strands of sweat-filled hair up out of his eyes as he re-affirmed his grip on the gun by his side.

He was twenty three minutes into the training scenario and had managed to locate all of the targets except one – but with a little patience he had narrowed his search down to the barrel a few metres in front of him. With a cursory glance of his surroundings he shut his eye's, calming his breathing as he re-focused on the sounds echoing through the room, listening for the slightest hint of movement. He remained in place, holding his breath until finally there was the unmistakable whine of an unhinged spring before him. On sheer instinctive timing alone he launched his fatigued body up and out of safety, bringing the gun parallel with his vision before firing two rounds at the wooden board before it could even lock into place.

"You know, at some point Solo it would be nice to get a shot in." Several feet to his left, Poe Dameron ambled towards him from a cluster of bushes, pushing the safety on his gun as a faint bell rang in the background, signifying the end of the scenario.

He bent down to collect the unused gun in his ankle holster, conveniently hiding his smug grin from his closest friend and comrade. "I wouldn't have to make all the shots if you didn't trail behind me like a dying, wounded animal." he teased as he unloaded both magazines from his guns, placing them with the unused one's in his webbing. "I would have heard you a mile off, clearly working a protection assignment has made you sloppy with your footwork."

It didn't take much to upset Poe, Ben rejoiced internally as he took the bait and launched into an expletive filled tirade – one that would cut the ears off any doting Grandmother.

Ignoring Poe, he strolled over to the other side of the room, hunting along the walls until he finally found what he was looking for. Concealed neatly amongst the vines was a grey box; flipping open the lid he pressed the blue button inside – silencing the blaring alarm and resetting the course.

"Are you even listening to me?!" Poe had followed him, releasing his unused magazine into his hand and brandishing it towards him. "We always deal with this crap as a team, it doesn't feel right when you go out on me like that."

Ben furrowed his eyebrows in the direction of his friend. "Are you actually bothered that I done all of the hard work or are you just upset I showed you up in front of Agent Bliss?"

They had originally started out as a trio - Poe, Zori and him. Eventually she had exited the scenario, aiming a torrid of similar abuse in his direction on the way out.

"Ben I swear to-"

"I'm messing with you!" He wrangled Poe into a head lock as they walked towards the exit that lead them back into the locker room; where they could dispose of the weapons, shower and change back into their uniform.

"Less messing, more being a better friend." Poe dug his elbow into his ribs, allowing him to wiggle free from his grip.

"What are you doing back in the office anyway?" Ben removed the magazines from his webbing and chucked them into the waiting disposal box on the side. "I thought babysitting Kenobi was a full time gig?"

Poe made a noise that Ben could only liken to the sound of a pissed off goat. "Don't even get me started, talk about a whack first protection assignment." He let his head slam against his locker. "It is so mind numbingly boring that I considered literally shooting myself in the foot just to create a little excitement in my day."

"Wow, that bad?" Ben whistled, easily switching to his sympathetic ear for his friend. Poe was the one person in his life that he could not only count on, but offered him some continuity and support – something he never really had growing up. They both joined the Marine Corps on the same intake and had remained inseparable ever since. Three tours of the Middle East later they had both decided to call it a day, but the worst of it wasn't over yet. The tours had been taxing on them both mentally and physically, leading them down the dark and grotesque road of PTSD. In a moment of desperation Ben had reached out to the only family he had left, securing them both a place in the Secret Service Training Programme; they had both flourished and appreciated the ability to use their military skills in the confines of their own country – it had been just over four years since they had left the Forces, and Ben could only appreciate that they were doing so well. They were allowed to work through their PTSD at their own pace, clearing the way for them to forge ahead and shape themselves into the people they wanted to be – but most importantly he felt needed.

Once their field assignment was over, Ben had hidden his disappointment well when Poe was given his protection assignment first – the unusual position of protecting the Mayor of Seattle. The Secret Service rarely, if ever had a hand in security at that level – that's what State Police was for - but President Jinn had demanded it and so it was done, since the President was so cosy with the Director it hadn't been an issue, no matter the criticism it had drawn.

A prolonged knock on the door drew Ben out from his thoughts, before he could reach across to open it the handle was slammed down from the other side and the door swung open, revealing an unfamiliar, petite woman in front of them.

"You know this is-"

"Agent Solo?" she cut Poe off as she split her questioning glance between them, eventually turning her scathing eye on him as he wearily raised his hand. "Director Skywalker wishes to speak with you – _now_."

**.*.**

Ben took his time in the shower; rewarding his sore muscles with a steady stream of scorching water.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Poe hissed from the cubicle beside him. "Since when does the Director of the Secret Service just pop into the Seattle Field Office?!"

"He hasn't been able to keep his nose out of my career so far, no reason for him to stop that trend." Ben scrubbed at his hair and skin, removing all trace of the training scenario. He knew exactly what was coming, asking Luke to help them get into the Secret Service Programme had come at a price; Luke rearing his head again meant only one thing – he needed something doing and it was bound to be unpleasant. What was confusing Ben was that he normally phoned, doing it in person was unusual for him.

He knocked the water off as he grabbed his towel, swiftly wrapping it around his waist and walking back into the changing room. He was glad to see the woman had left him to get changed in peace, although he was weary of her close proximity outside.

Tension seeped into his skin as he opened his locker door, grabbing the newly washed and ironed suit from inside and hanging it on the railing before him. He had been in a dark place the night he had phoned Luke in desperation to secure a job that allowed him to continue being the only version of himself that he knew. Everything was fine until he finished training; from the moment he was on field assignment he had been his Uncle's puppet to orchestrate.

He vigorously slammed the locker door shut, placing his hands and forehead against the cool metal, gritting his teeth as he tried to calm the swell of anger pitted in his stomach.

"Fuck." He grunted, running a hand through his drying hair as he pounded the locker once more with the side of his fist.

"Ben, you can't remain in debt to him forever," Poe appeared from the shower room, leaning against the locker beside him. "Whatever he asks you to do, tell him to shove it up his pretentious-"

Once again he was interrupted by a chaotic bang as the door swung open, revealing the women; her fists clenched and the last thread of her patience clearly etched across her face.

"Agent Solo, I am sure you can appreciate the Director is a busy man," she picked up his suit and forced it against his torso, "Get changed and follow me, _if you please_." She indicated behind her.

"Alright alright, I'm getting changed now." He grabbed onto the hanger before she dropped his carefully ironed suit in a heap.

"If you're not outside this door in two minutes-"

"Yeah yeah I get the gist." He rolled his eyes as she walked out of the room without another word, slamming the door behind her.

"I think I'm in love."

Ben spun around to face Poe in both confusion and amusement. "What?"

"Watching her belittle you like that, taking the infamous Ben Solo down a peg in the men's locker rooms." He mock kissed his finger tips before raising them in the air. "Beautiful."

"Oh shut up, she would eat you alive."

Never one to be rushed but weary of her waiting, Ben dressed himself before exiting the changing room, running his hand through his hair once again out of habit. Without a word she kicked herself away from the opposite wall and headed down the hall to the elevators, he closely followed. He took in her unusual clothing as they walked - black jeans, white shirt and a leather jacket - taking note of the gun openly on show on her hip, but also the slight bulge at her ankle that gave away her concealment of another weapon.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name Agent…?" he sped up so that they were side by side.

"No, I guess you didn't." came her curt reply as she took a sharp left into an awaiting lift, he slowed his pace.

"As I said, the Director is a busy man." She held the lift open for him, "he doesn't have time to deal with the fanfare and the ass kissing of turning up at a small Field Office, you will find him in the Tahoe directly across the street."

Before he could say another word she stepped back from the lift and allowed the doors to close on him, clearly not interested in any more discussion.

The journey down in the elevator was brief, promptly expelling him into the small downstairs office of their building. Removing his identity card he swiped through the barrier with a quick wave to the security guard, who laughably gave him a wave of the hand without so much of a glance.

Exiting out onto the street the Tahoe wasn't hard to find, not for his curious eyes anyway. Crossing over, he approached the vehicle and smoothly slid in through the door that was conveniently opened moments before.

"It's good to see you Ben, coffee?"

He slammed the door shut as he settled into the seat, inspecting the large coffee held out before him; following the hand that held it he glanced across to Luke, expecting one thing but seeing a different thing entirely. Last time he had seen Luke was a little over five months ago when he had been direct ordered to go to Seattle despite his comprehensive opposition to the idea. He was settled in Washington and doing well at the White House, there were even murmurings of him joining President Jinn's personal protection – but thanks to his Uncle those chances were probably now slim to none. At that point Luke had been clean-shaven, in shape – even in good spirits. But before him sat a man who had aged exponentially in their time apart, Ben couldn't even bring himself to make a joke about the bedraggled beard. Instead, he held up a hand in refusal of the coffee; there was already plenty of adrenaline running through his veins, he most certainly did not need a top up.

"Can I help you Director Skywalker?" He shifted uncomfortably in the seat beside Luke, weary that the driver and his Uncle's personal bodyguard were sat in the front – window or no window separating the back of the vehicle from the front he was sure they had impeccable hearing.

"You know, in private it's okay to call me Uncle."

Ben strained a smile at that remark, Luke was lucky that he was in the same breathing space as him, and that was only because he was his boss. Other than receiving a direct order, Ben tried his hardest to never lay eye's on the man and today was no different, despite his bedraggled appearance tugging at his curiosity.

"Ben-"

"You called me down here for a reason?" He struggled to keep the acid from his tongue, growing weary of his Uncle's futile attempts to make small talk every time he managed to get him alone.

"Ahh yes," he watched as Luke glanced around him, momentarily dishevelled in the awkwardness from his failed attempts at friendly conversation. "I uhm…let me see…here somewhere."

Ben could only sit and stew in his own awkwardness until finally, amongst all of the paperwork strewn across the seats Luke plucked up a blue file pack.

"Ahh yes! Here we go." Luke held the file out towards him, brandishing it in urgency. "Congratulations on your first protective assignment, Agent Solo."

Ben snatched it from his grasp, flipping the folder open to reveal only a handful of documents with a picture attached to the top of the file. "You have got to be shitting me."

"Excuse me?" Luke sat back in his chair, affronted with evident disdain for his language.

"This isn't an assignment, this is a babysitting gig!" he chucked the folder back down on the seat between them as he went to exit the vehicle, "Not happening, I made it very clear where I wanted my first protective assignment to be."

Luke reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Well, up until yesterday that was the plan – you were heading to the White House – but then I received a call from Mayor Kenobi himself requesting you personally for this job, what was I supposed to tell him?"

"You're the Director! You could have told him no!" he roared as he shook away from Luke's ironclad grip on his arm.

"It doesn't work like that and you know it Ben, now stay seated, if you don't want to have this conversation as Uncle and Nephew then we can damn well have it as boss and employee."

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to contain both his anger and the strengthening urge to taser the man beside him. He internally reminded himself that outside of this situation he loved his job, and tasering the Director of the Secret Service would probably leave him unemployed with some jail time on top.

"Since when has a Mayor's daughter required a personal bodyguard?" he managed to breathe through his gritted teeth, massaging the inner points of his eyes like he had been shown when his rage was his most overlying emotion.

"New intel has been brought to our attention that has resulted in the Mayor's security being tightened, this now includes his daughter which means her days out of her Father's eye are over – her safety is paramount."

He rounded on Luke as he swiped the file back up, quietly admitting his defeat. "You know everyone is curious why the President has demanded our protection of Mayor Kenobi, when they see his daughter is now getting it people will start digging."

"Let them dig," Luke scoffed, "they will find that the Mayor of Seattle has received more threats in a year than the last sitting President had in his two terms in office." Luke shrugged indignantly as if that information was only a minor detail.

"I am assuming since Agent Dameron was never fully briefed on the supposed intel I shouldn't be expecting one either?" he flicked through the document on Rey Kenobi which told him absolutely nothing other than her love of controversy. The fact that the identity of her weed dealer was on the first page was disconcerting enough.

"Your job is to protect Agent Solo, as far as we are aware this is pre-cautionary, the intel is purely on a need to know basis – when you need to know, you will."

"When do I start?" He knew he had no option, inwardly groaning at the impending reaction the office would have when they find out who he is protecting – they had ridiculed Poe for weeks.

Luke looked down at his watch. "How quickly can you get over to Union Street?"

* * *

With precision, Rey gently placed the needle of the record player down on the awaiting disc, before plucking the newly lit joint out of Finn's hand.

"Now THIS is a song to get high too." She brandished her arm out in exclamation as she took a long drag, swaying ever so slightly to the opening chords of Thank You by Led Zeppelin. Grabbing a pillow off the couch she chucked it on the floor beside her best friend, shooing for him to shift out of her way as she dropped down beside him; allowing their heads to brush together as she exhaled a plume of smoke above them.

"Finn Twomey, what would I ever do without you?" she grinned.

"Probably have a terrible dealer, that last stuff was disgusting." He pulled a face as he pinched the joint back out of her hand. "Anyways, you've got dinner with your dad tonight, probably not best to turn up high."

"As if he would notice my presence anyway, the last time we had dinner he spent most of the time taking photo's and shaking hands." she accepted the joint from his wavering hand, gladly inhaling to expel any notion of her Father in her mind. Their relationship had been fine – although at times certainly tested – until he had taken office as Mayor of Seattle. At that point everything changed, and with no one else to turn too she had left their family home, disappointed that her Father hadn't even tried to stop her going. He wished her well and promised to cover her credit cards and that was it, they met weekly for dinner as per his terms of paying the bills but they had very little – if anything – in common.

"Rey-"

A sharp knock at the door cut Finn off before he could start his usual lecture of how she was too hard on her Father.

"Did you order any food?" she quizzed.

"Nope, but it's your door so you go answer it." He plucked the joint from her hand. "And I, will look after this."

She stood, quickly fixing her joggers as she trudged over to the door, scuffing her ugg boots along the floor as if her feet were incapable of leaving the ground.

"If it's not pizza tell whoever it is to fuck off!" he yelled after her as he pushed himself up from the floor and settled onto the couch. She stuck her tongue out as he inhaled deeply before blowing her a kiss.

"_When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be me and you…"_ she effortlessly sang along with the opening verse before taking a quick peek through the peephole. "It's Poe!" she hissed over to Finn with a cursory wink; she could only laugh as he flustered about smoothing his clothes and hurriedly crossing his legs, relaxing back into what she assumed he thought was a smouldering sexy pose.

"Rey, you in there?" Poe's voice came from outside, sounding worryingly on the anxious side.

Yanking the lock across she opened the door fully.

"Poe what's-"

Before she could finish another figure came into view, belittling Poe and his height; with no hesitation he walked straight into the apartment.

"Excuse me?" she furrowed her eyebrows at Poe who only shrugged apologetically as he followed the man in. "You can't just barge in here who the hell do you think you a-"

"Agent Solo." He stopped in his tracks and rounded on her as if only just noticing her presence, he held a stern hand out towards her but she batted it away.

"That doesn't explain why you're in my home." She set her glare between both Agent's before her, although most of her fury was directed at Poe.

"He uh-"

"I'm your new personal bodyguard." Agent Solo stated before walking over to her ceiling to floor windows and taking a brief look out below them.

"My fucking what?!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Just want to take a quick second to firstly let you know that I'm not from the USA so if I spelled anything wrong or if I got any information incorrect I apologise! Secondly, I also wanted to say a quick thanks for reading this story and I hope we enjoy this ride together!**

**~Ladieeluck**


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER 2**_

_**-/-**_

_In Harm's Way_

**_-\\-_**

* * *

Rey furiously thrashed her thumbs against the phone screen, typing out a less than polite text to her Dad – _how could he do this and not even give her a phone call to explain?_

"Miss Kenobi-"

"Save it Poe." she snapped, refusing to meet his eyes in the rear-view mirror. To say the atmosphere in the car was teeming with awkwardness was a categorical understatement; her and Agent Solo hadn't exactly got off to the right start after all.

_**-0-**_

"_My fucking what?!" she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief as she walked towards Finn and plucked the remainder of the joint from his fingers - taking a lengthy drag. "Poe, this has to be a joke." she half-heartedly laughed as he met her eyes briefly, she exhaled her breath in a plume of smoke. "Since when did a Mayor's daughter – never mind a bloody Mayor – need Secret Service protection, this is stupid!" _

"_Well, we finally agree on something." Agent Solo muttered quietly, she turned her glare on him as he moved away from the window and walked towards her. He was quite possibly the tallest man she had ever laid her eyes on. As with Poe, he had his gun holster over his left shoulder so that if she looked close enough she could see the handle of his gun jutting out at his ribs. He was the first Secret Service Agent she had seen with long hair, although she had to admit he suited it; her eyes settled on his face, which quickly mutated into fury as he looked down at the joint in her hand. Within a few steps he closed the gap between them and snatched the dying joint from her fingers in one swift movement, holding it out towards Finn._

"_You can finish that; Miss Kenobi has to get ready for dinner." Standing so close to him she could see that he was gritting his teeth, although she couldn't place why his anger was being directed at her - they had only just met after all._

_"I'm staying out of this one." Finn muttered. _

_Traitor, she thought to herself._

"_Does marijuana offend you Agent Solo?" she questioned, both as a horrid tease and a hint of curiosity. "It is legal after all."_

"_Each to their own." Came his curt reply. "But I'd rather you didn't smoke it before meeting with the Mayor and public events."_

"_Well, lucky me then, since I never attend public events and dinner is only once a week." She pushed past him, but his stiff posture held its own and she was the one who had to move her shoulder._

"_You've got dinner in an hour, if you could-"_

"_Call yourself an Agent?" She cut him off as she rounded on him. "Dinner is always at 6pm, didn't Poe brief you? What is this, your first day at sneaky school?"_

"_And if you checked your phone you would find at least three messages from your Father telling you that dinner is now at 4:30pm, as you can imagine you now have plenty to talk about." He rebuked; the smallest hint of a victorious smile graced his lips before it was gone._

"_You're not protecting the President's daughter you know." She hissed. "I'm going to be a massive disappointment if you were expecting anything like that."_

"_Oh no, don't worry – I know I'm dealing with a spoilt, entitled brat and the sooner this is over the better." He stepped towards her, placing his hands in his pockets as he brought himself level. "Now please Miss Kenobi, go and get changed."_

_"Make me." she cringed internally, but she was feeling the affects of the joint and it was the first retort she could think of._

_She watched his face, waiting for anger to once again distort his features - but instead he kept his composure, only raising a finger to cure an itch at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Poe behind him before leaning his entire body into her space so that his lips were right by her ears._

_"My job is to protect you and get you from A to B safely, nowhere in my training does it say how I have to get you there. If I have to throw you over my shoulder and drag you to your Father's kicking and screaming don't doubt for a second that I will. I know you're used to having things your way but for the foreseeable future we will be doing things my way." he leant back and looked her in the eyes once more, his features had solidified into stone, even his lips barely moved as he spoke again. "Now please Miss Kenobi, if you could go and get changed we will have you there in no time."_

"_You know nothing about me." She spat as she turned her back on him, storming into her bedroom and slamming the door as hard as she could._

**_-0-_**

Rey closed her eyes, the reminder that he had called her a spoilt entitled brat gnawed at her ebbing patience. She wasn't the most proactive human being but she was hardly spoilt. Once she had showered and changed, she had exited her room to find Finn and Poe gone and Agent Solo stood at the door on his phone. A few minutes later he had her whisked into the car that she was sat in now, Poe nervous at the wheel and Agent Solo still tapping away on his phone.

Glancing at her own phone she was disheartened to see that her Dad hadn't replied.

"How do you put the divider up in this thing?" she demanded, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice; she could feel her body on the verge of tears.

Agent Solo pointed to a series of buttons above her head. "Don't get used to it though, Agent Dameron is driving us to Mayor Kenobi's house in his vehicle, your official car will be much smaller."

"Shove your official car up your arse." she muttered as she fumbled with the buttons through the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, finally the divider started to rise.

"Excuse me?" Both Poe and Agent Solo questioned in unison.

"Nothing!" she squeaked, relieved when the divider finally closed and their eye contact was cut off.

Slumping back in her seat she dialled her Dad's number, hoping that a phonecall might make him realise how desperately she wanted to talk to him before dinner and other listening ears were around. When his number rang out for the third time she launched her phone across the floor of the car before burying her face in her hands, trying her hardest to contain her composure, but eventually succumbing.

* * *

"That went well."

Ben ignored Poe, continuing to integrate Rey's meagre itinerary into his calendar in an attempt to formulate some sort of concise daily plan. So far it seemed her life was mostly social with no work or studying that he could find in her file – much to his distaste. It was a full blown babysitting gig.

"I mean she could have easily-"

"Poe." He warned before finally giving up and chucking his phone into the side compartment. His morning had gone from bad to worse once he had got back to the office to ask Poe for a lift to her apartment. Most Agents knew to steer clear of him whilst he was still evidently angry, but Agent Hux couldn't help himself. Ben smirked, Hux hadn't been so joyful once his back was slammed up against the wall and his forearm wedged against his neck - he was lucky that Zori had walked in when she did.

"Ben, it's a shit assignment but it's still an assignment; I'm not making excuses for her but she's not had it easy, between losing her Mom and then her Dad basically forgetting that she exists…" Ben watched as Poe trailed off, trying to find the right word. "She could have turned out a lot worse is all I am saying."

"I couldn't care less what kind of person she is Poe, as long as she doesn't cause me any bother there will be no issues." Ben checked his watch, noting that they were cutting it fine. She had taken her time getting ready much to his annoyance; now he knew how the woman from that morning felt trying to get him down to his Uncle.

Poe fiddled with a few buttons before them until a live feed of the back seat filled the screen. Rey was curled up with her head in her hands, clearly trying her hardest not to cry. Ben watched as she rocked silently against the seat, his first urge was to put the divider down and tell her to put her seatbelt back on – but his unwanted growing sense of pity for her warned him to stay silent. Maybe he had been too harsh on her, but then again she had been just as difficult.

"Just go a little easier on her." Poe closed the screen down.

"She's a child Poe." he scoffed.

"No, she's a young woman trying to find her own way despite the cards she was dealt, maybe you should treat her as such."

"What?"

"Calling her a spoilt, entitled brat probably wasn't the best start and I don't even want to know what you whispered in her ear." Poe's left hand was flailing comically in an attempt to convey his emotions; as he always did when attempting to make a point. "Look, I know you're upset about the assignment but don't take it out on her alright."

"You seem pretty sweet on her, maybe we should swap assignments and you could see where it goes." Ben regretted the words the second they left his mouth, even more so when Poe shook his head and angled his body away – ending the conversation.

_What is wrong with me?_ He pinched the bridge of his nose for the second time that day, willing his body and mind to calm down. Not only had his assignment got off to a terrible start but he had now upset Poe, the latter bothered him more.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into the silence. "I'm being a jackass."

"Yeah, you are." Poe side-eyed him as he edged forward in the mounting traffic, stopping another car from getting in. "You know I'm grateful you got us these jobs and I hate that you're the one that has to put up with Luke's shit."

"I know I know." He looked across to Poe, hoping his eye's were conveying his sincerity. "I just need to get today over and done with and start fresh tomorrow with a better frame of mind."

"Tonight's Thursday though?"

Ben didn't like the knowing glance that suddenly had Poe looking so gleeful.

"And that means?" He gathered up his phone and the file on Rey as they finally turned up the side street that led to the Mayor's residence.

"You'll see." Poe turned swiftly into a waiting garage. "You've got to get through this dinner first and I can guarantee there are going to be tears tonight."

"Is she really that mad about a bodyguard?" He quizzed.

"Oh, not her tears – yours." Poe laughed manically as he switched the engine off and hopped out of the car. "These dinners are notorious for ending badly and Rey going out drinking, we both have a long night ahead."

"Great." Ben sighed as he unbuckled his seatbelt and half-heartedly jumped out of the car too.

"I'll head on up and make sure the Mayor is ready, remember - be nice!" Poe mock saluted him as he stepped into the elevator.

_Be nice._ The words rang in his ears as he took a deep breath and rounded on the back door of the car. "Be nice." he repeated to himself. He could do this, he could remain professional for the sake of his career.

* * *

"Miss Kenobi?"

Rey had finally composed herself as they pulled into the underground garage of her Dad's home, she was on her knees searching under the seat for her phone when the door had been yanked open by Agent Solo.

"I can't find my damn phone." She bent her shoulder down so that she could push her hand further under the passenger seat.

"Why don't you get going upstairs with Agent Dameron and I'll find it and bring it up to you."

Rey squinted up at the man before her, he had the door propped open with one hand and the other held out towards her. She bit back the rude remark crawling up her throat, he was clearly making an effort and it wasn't his fault that she was in this situation.

"If I get my way tonight, you'll be back to a proper job tomorrow." She took his hand and allowed him to guide her out of the car with some elegance.

"I haven't met your Father Miss Kenobi but I do know the Director of the Secret Service and there is no way either of us are getting out of this one." He paused, pursing his lips as he swallowed hard, if Rey didn't know any better it was causing him a great deal of pain to be nice. "We just have to compromise until the higher powers deem you're no longer in danger."

"What?" she ripped her hand from his as she stepped back. "What danger?"

He closed his eyes as he shoved a hand through his hair, taking a step towards her. "Fuck, I thought someone would have-"

"No. No one has told me anything, they never do." She pinched her nose and counted to ten in her head, just like Doctor Harper had taught her.

"What are you doing?" she opened her eyes to see him staring at her with curiosity, head slightly cocked like a confused dog.

"Calming myself down, Dad doesn't respond well to shouting and if I go in there all guns blazing I'll achieve nothing."

He looked like he wanted to ask another question, but apparently thought better of it. "Your Father is waiting we really should get going." Agent Solo closed the car door, signalling to the elevator behind them. "I'll get your phone and bring it to you."

Rey nodded once, fully composing herself with a long deep breath as she walked into the elevator and turned back around to face him. "Thank you Agent Solo."

"What for?"

"Being the first person to tell me the truth, even if it was by accident." She looked up at the ceiling, avoiding his eye's as the doors closed.

The journey up was long, her Dad lived in an executive block of apartments with his right at the top - with complimentary sealed access; he had his own garage at the bottom with a connecting lift straight to his foyer.

Finally, the doors opened to reveal Poe, in all his panicking glory.

"Where is Be- Agent Solo?" he quizzed as she walked out of the lift.

"He's finding my phone for me he'll be up in a second, where's my Dad?"

"In the kitchen he just has some business to – WAIT!" he caught her arm as she went to open the door into the apartment but she shrugged it off.

"The pair of you stay out here, no interruptions." Before he could reply she slipped through the door and closed it in his face.

Taking another deep breath she walked down the hall, tapping her fingers against her leg as she went, suddenly feeling nervous about their dinner – or more accurately the argument they were most likely about to have. But she had to stand her ground, if she needed a bodyguard then she wanted a full explanation.

"Agent Dameron is that you?" Her Dad's voice called from ahead.

She rounded into the kitchen. "No, it's me."

"Rey!" he pulled her into a half embrace, holding his wet hands in the air so as not to touch her dress. "Dinner is nearly ready I just have to grill the cheese on top." He picked up a large tray of pasta bake, showing it to her before sliding it underneath the grill.

She was lost for words. It had been years since her Dad had cooked her anything, in fact the last time was her 11th birthday, the night before her Mom died – she could remember it clearly, she had an obsession with beef stroganoff and he- _NO_ she thought to herself, cancelling her thought process, she didn't need to think about that right now.

"Looks nice Dad." She managed a smile, barely.

"Look, Rey, I know there is a lot you want to discuss and we will in time, but I have a meeting in an hour-"

And there it was, quick as a flash Mayor Kenobi returned to the room.

"This won't take long," she cut him off. "You just have to tell me why I have a bodyguard, or I am walking out of here without him." He had put his foot down many times with her, it was now her turn to do the same with him.

* * *

"Where have you been?!" Poe was on him before the elevator doors had even fully opened. "Have you suddenly forgotten how to be a bodyguard? She can't go anywhere alone now!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about all the hitmen hiding in the elevator shaft." Ben rolled his eyes as he stepped around his friend into the large marble foyer. "Where is she?"

"In with Mayor Kenobi, we wait out here until they're finished." Poe wandered over to a cluster of chairs set beside double oak doors, signalling for him to follow. "She will come flying out of there in no time."

"Who was looking after the Mayor on your day off?" he glanced around the room, taking in the extravagance.

"Agent Vos; I sent her home, I might as well stay here tonight."

"Poe, what can you tell me about her and her family?" he toyed with the next question on his tongue, wondering if it was appropriate. "You said she had it tough… what happened? I just caught her using the same exercises we were taught to help us deal with our PTSD."

"It's not my story to tell, you can either google it or ask her yourself." Poe flipped open an old newspaper, signalling him again to take the seat beside him. Ben went to sit down when a small headline caught his eye.

"Give me that." He grabbed the paper, ignoring Poe's protests as he smoothed it out on the table to get a better look. In the bottom right corner was an article no bigger than 4 inches.

_PALPATINE: DEAD MAN INDICATED ONCE MORE_

He skirted through the article, it stated that once again a drug dealer had told police that Palpatine was their supplier, but this one claimed he had actually met him face to face.

"Poe have you seen this?" he highlighted the article.

"Oh yeah, it's been going on for months," he laughed as he succeeded in grabbing the paper back. "they think they will get some kind of plea deal if they throw in a big name and some measly information - even if he is dead."

"You don't think it's a coincidence that Palpatine's name starts getting mentioned again and suddenly you're the bodyguard for the former police officer turned Mayor that tore down his entire drug empire?" When Poe said nothing he offered a little more insight. "Think about it, how old are these kids that are dealing? Seattle has done it's best to wipe Palpatine from it's history since he died, what, like 19 years ago? There is no way a bunch of kids from different parts of the city all suddenly know that name and the power it has."

Poe's eye's widened in understanding of what he was trying to say. "No, Ben there's no way in hell that man is still alive, the fire consumed the house, his body was identified – you've read the reports."

Ben nodded, he had poured over those reports the second he had clearance. His Father had been killed the night of the fire, he had been an undercover Agent in the midst of Palpatine's Empire, some said his right hand man – some even said he was turned, and that was why he was in the house that night instead of outside with the police. The Secret Service staunchly believed he had been a loyal Agent until the end, well, that's what their report said. Leia - his Mother - hadn't coped well with his Father's death and it showed in her lack of passion in his upraising. She threw herself into her work with Seattle Police, cleaning up the remnants of Palpatine's gang of misfits now that they had no leader to follow - he was lucky if he saw her once a week. She had been almost relieved when he decided to join the Marines at sixteen. Grief got to her in the end, she died whilst he was on his second tour in Afghanistan – although the news didn't reach him until after the funeral, another reason he hated Luke.

"Ben?"

"What?" he snapped out of his memories, turning back to Poe.

"I said get ready, the way that's going in there she will be out in a few minutes."

Sure enough if Ben strained his ears hard enough he could hear both the Mayor and his daughter roaring at each other - although the words were inaudible. For now he put the thought of Palpatine to the back of his mind. For now.

* * *

"You have to give me something Dad!" she bellowed at him. His nonchalant approach to the situation was getting under her skin, he cared more about the damn pasta bake than her right now.

"Rey, it's confidential information and we both know you will tell Finn the second you leave and then he will tell anyone who would listen." He chuckled as if it was nothing, her calming antics had long gone out the window.

"So that's it then? You're not going to tell me why I need a bodyguard?" she demanded.

His look said it all.

"Agent Solo said I was in danger." She blurted out. "He thought I already knew before you get mad at him." She added, realising despite the fact they got off on the wrong foot he was in the same boat as her – he didn't deserve to get into trouble.

"So much for him being the best Agent that Luke has ever seen, then again Uncle's do always look out for their Nephew's" he grumbled.

"Who is Luke?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Oh of course, I forgot nothing ever matters to you Dad." She grabbed her bag from the kitchen counter, fumbling for her phone before she remembered that she had left it in the car. "Fuck."

"Rey you know I love you," she hadn't even felt him approach her, he tentatively placed a hand on her cheek, catching her off guard. "I just want to keep you safe, please believe the less you know the better, not just for me and you but for everyone in your life." He forced her to meet his eyes. "I need you to do this Rey, you don't understand it all right now, but some time in the future I promise I will tell you everything." His entire personality had changed, it was as if his Mayor mask had slipped, allowing her a glimpse of the Dad she used to know. "Will you do this for me Rey, no questions asked, _please_." His last word was no more than a whisper, he was starting to worry her.

"Do you promise an explanation soon?" she sighed against his hand.

"I promise."

"Then we are okay – for now, but I will come looking for answers." Before he could reply his phone rang, causing both Rey and her Dad to jump. "You better get that, I should get going anyway." she wiped a stray tear from her cheek as she threw her handbag over her shoulder and headed towards the door.

He quickly grabbed a blue folder on the side, brandishing it in her direction. "Can you give this to Agent Solo."

"Sure." There was no point asking what it was, she knew he wouldn't tell her.

She watched as he answered the call, slipping back into the happy, helpful Mayor that everyone in the city knew him to be. "Ah, Alexander yes of course let's get all this hashed out before the next meeting..."

She didn't bother listening to the rest of the conversation as she closed the door behind her and headed back down the hall. One of the double door's was slightly ajar despite her vividly remembering slamming it shut. Yanking open the door she confidently strutted into the room and stared at them both.

"Now that you've finished eavesdropping its time to go." she started walking towards the elevator, purposefully going slow so that Agent Solo had a chance to catch up. He was beside her in seconds.

"This is for you." She pushed the folder into his chest without looking at him, she was tired of angry men today. She needed a drink and she needed to dance, glancing at her watch she saw it was just gone five - an acceptable time to start drinking.

"Your phone." he held it out to her as he pushed the elevator button.

"I couldn't do anything, you're stuck with me I'm afraid." she chanced a peak up at his face, surprised to see a smile.

"I did tell you Miss Kenobi." Of course, it was a mocking smile.

"No one likes a smart arse." she grumbled. "And stop calling me Miss Kenobi I'm not a bloody spinster." she locked eyes with him, noticing for the first time - now that they weren't full of anger - that they were two different colours, darker on the inside near the pupil and lighter on the outside. "Call me Rey."

"Okay Rey, what's the plan tonight?"

She gawked at him. "That's it, no push back?"

"If you would rather I stuck to calling you M-"

"Rey's fine." she felt her cheeks warm as he chuckled beside her. "As for plans tonight, lets just get back to the apartment."

"You're the boss." he sighed as the doors opened. "But no weed, that stuff smells like day old sweat and I'm not sleeping with that smell everywhere."

"Sleeping? What?"

"I'm your bodyguard 24/7, where do you think I'm going to sleep?"


End file.
